Brrrr...Cold temps have made winter drag on

Ask just about anyone—colder temperatures have made the winter seem longer.

Statistics from the National Weather Service in Hastings back that up.

Average lows in February were a bitter 12.4 degrees compared to 17.54 in 2013.

Highs, on average, were nine degrees warmer last year at 43.4 compared to 34.4 this year.

Last November, there were no signs suggesting this winter would be worse for snowfall than in previous years and that statement proved true, said National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Bryant.

“If we go back, it’s easy to see we’ve had nearly as much precipitation (this season) as in the last couple years,” Bryant said. “With the little amount of snow the region has gotten, the cold temperatures have made the season seem longer.”

Healthier amounts of precipitation were recorded in 2013—1.12 inches compared to .58 so far in 2014.

Fortunately Bryant noted that weather patterns don’t show any arctic air outbreaks or cool snaps in the future.

“The region won’t have anymore of the single-digit high temperatures we’ve seen,” he said.

However, as the region approaches the first day of spring, on March 20, Bryant couldn’t offer any information on a greater or lesser amount of wetness either.

“Based on the pattern seen, there is an equal chance of the season being wet or dry,” Bryant said. “It doesn’t look like there will be an outbreak in precipitation and temperatures appear to be normal.”

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